Crispy baked chicken drumsticks and thighs are perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal. Just coat the pieces of chicken legs with seasonings and cook in the oven.
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I’m adding an easy keto chicken legs dish to my collection of low carb chicken recipes. And it’s a great recipe for busy days like my shake and bake chicken.
I created a healthy chicken legs recipe to use up some frozen chicken in our freezer. The cooking method used makes the outside nice and crispy. It’s perfect for making chicken drumsticks and or thighs in the oven.
These crispy baked chicken legs are so simple to make. You’ll just need to coat the chicken pieces with a spice blend then bake. It couldn’t get any easier!
Ingredients for Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks & Thighs
There really isn’t much to this baked chicken leg quarters recipe. I used five whole chicken legs that I cut into thighs and drumsticks. Then I dumped them in a large zipper bag to coat each piece with seasonings.
The seasonings I used were a Cajun blend, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, thyme, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and black pepper. It’s a nice combination of spices for baked chicken legs and thighs.
I find that kosher salt sticks to the meat better than regular salt. But if you don’t have it any regular table salt can be used instead.
How to bake crispy chicken legs
There’s very little work involved to make these crispy baked chicken drumsticks and thighs. It’s one of the easiest keto recipes to make when you need a no fuss dinner.
I like to use a big zipper bag to coat the seasoning onto the chicken. But you can mix the spices in a small bowl then rub it onto the chicken if you prefer. The seasoned chicken is then placed onto a baking sheet greased with a little cooking spray.
To make the chicken crispy, I bake it in a 450°F preheated oven at the start of cooking. This crisps up the outside skin. But you have to be careful not to burn the outside.
After about 15 minutes, the oven temperature is reduced to 375°F until the meat is done. For a slower cook, it’s best to bake at 350 degrees or less at the end. It will just require a longer cooking time.
The best way to determine whether the meat is fully cooked is to use a meat thermometer. This also ensures that you don’t overcook the meat which can make it dry.
I put the thermometer into a thick area on one of the chicken thighs near the bone. The meat is done when it reaches 165°F.
Seasoning the chicken pieces
Baking at a high temperature first and then lowering the temperature to finish cooking is what’s important in this crispy baked chicken drumsticks recipe. It’s not the spice blend. I often add a little bit of this and that when it comes to spices without really measuring things out.
Feel free to adjust the seasoning blend to suit your taste. I love spicy food and the amount of cayenne in the recipe was too much for my husband and son, but not enough for me.
Smoked paprika gives a touch of sweetness as well as a lovely color. I used a cajun spice blend because I had it, but you can replace that with seasonings of your choice.
Other Baked Chicken Leg Recipes
Want another great keto chicken thigh recipe? Take a look at my keto fried chicken. It can bee cooked in an air fryer or the oven.
The following wing recipes can also be made with chicken leg pieces instead:
It would be boring to eat the same baked drumsticks recipe over and over. That’s why it’s great to spice things up a bit or change it around with different chicken leg and thigh recipes.
The keto chicken dish that my family enjoys most is my Filipino chicken adobo. It’s a classic in our home. But my family loves this crispy baked chicken drumsticks and thighs recipe too!
For another easy baked dish, try a simple asparagus stuffed chicken.
Kitchen Tools Used
The following items are used in the recipe:
- Zipper Bag or Covered Container
- 2 Sheet Pans
- Meat Thermometer
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Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks & Thighs (Legs)
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Ingredients
- 5 whole chicken legs cut into thighs and drumsticks
- 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Instructions
- Combine all spices in a large zipper bag.
- Line two jelly roll pans with foil and place cooling racks on top of each.
- Coat each piece of chicken with spices by shaking in the bag.
- Place each coated piece of chicken on baking rack.
- Bake at 450°F for the first 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 375°F. Bake until skin is crispy, about 30 minutes longer. Meat is done when thermometer reads 165°F near bone.
Notes
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Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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Post updated in April 2019. Originally published March 2016.
Lisa MarcAurele has been creating low carb recipes since 2010. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites!
NANCY SACCOCCIO says
Just made these and had to stop myself from eating it all. Lucky for me no one else in my house will eat chicken legs!! I may try it with chicken breasts too. Made a blue cheese dip to have with it. Easy peasy meal for the tired moms out there!Thanks.
Ellen Martens says
DON’T WASH CHICKEN SAYS CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/chicken.html
Lisa MarcAurele says
I rarely wash chicken.
Mary Louise Rink says
Way too salty
Lisa MarcAurele says
Did you use the kosher salt or another salt?
Len says
These are great. They were a bit spicy so next time I”ll cut back on the cayenne. We think wings done with this spice and cooked less time will make great tailgate food, Thanks for a great recipe and cooking method
Lisa MarcAurele says
Agree! I have to reduce the cayenne when I make these for my husband as he prefers medium or mild.
Ann says
Parchment paper is great but I found a better idea, the silicone mats that are made for BBQ’s are great to line a pan with as well, no sticking and easy clean up 🙂
Lisa says
I love using the silicone baking mats. Super easy cleanup!
EasyRoasted5 says
I’ve tried a lot of crispy baked chicken legs, and with this one I feel like
I finally hit gold! Full chicken taste, beautiful gold colour, perfect salt,
no fussy steps and done in the same amount of time (or less) as other recipes.
How nice easy and tasty. This crispy baked chicken legs was too yummy!
EasyRoast says
Baked Crispy Chicken Legs – A few simple tricks makes this chicken legs crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and ridiculously flavorful. It’s quick, easy, paleo, gluten-free and only requires 10 mins prep.
Marilyn says
I love this idea, and have tried it many times, only to end up with the bottom portion of the “breeding” falling off or worse, sticking to the pan! I use Pam spray, olive oil, to no success. Any ideas?
Lisa says
You could try raising in on a baking rack so it’s not resting completely on the pan.
Pattie says
The 2nd time I made these I used parchment paper to line the bottom of my pan and all the “breading” stayed on.